Forest Fire: Controlled in U'khand, rages on in Himachal

Forest fires in Uttarakhand have been brought "under control" with the number of places affected by the blaze having come down from 1,200 to 60.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday that four persons have been arrested for allegedly igniting fire in Pauri.  He said that strict action will be taken against those indulging in such activities. He also added that an alert has also been issued to all states having jungles to prevent such incidents.  The Minister said that over 6000 personnel, three IAF choppers fitted with Bambi buckets to carry water have been deployed in Uttarakhand to bring the fire under control.  However, forest fire now raging in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Recent spurt in forest fire incidents has been largely attributed to a long dry spell and raging heat wave conditions.